Photographic apparatus



July 7, 1931. E. WEISKER 1,813,690

PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Filed 0ct.-6, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT v IELLIS WE R ATTORNEY July-7, 1931. E. WEISKER PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS 2Sheets-Shut 2 Filed Oct. 6, 1927 1 O G n a o e 7 //A/// 0 1 l 1%fllllllelll I9 4 o 0 e BY ELLIS WEISKE I 7 ATTORNEY Patented July 7,1931 UNITED .STATES,

ELLIS WEISKER, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

rno'roemrmc APPARATUS Application filed October 6, 1927. Serial No.224,289.

The inventionrelates to photographic apparatus, more particularly asutilized in enlargement work and also of the type employed in so-calledphotostatic work where, a reproduction of copy is'made directly upon asensitized paper or other more or less flexible material or film. It hasbeen the general practice in the making of enlargements and photostatsto first properly focus the camera by viewing the image on a groundglass or the like and then replace the ground glass by a box or framecarrying sensitized material dis osed in the focal plane of said glass.

t is the object of the present invention to combinethe focusing andsensitized material retaining elements, making thereby 'unhec essary theinsertion and removal of a ground glass or like member as well as theswinging or moving of sensitized material back into place, or the use ofa plateholder or the like 1 therefor. To this end, a novel type ofvacuum holder for the sensitized material is employed, the same servingalso as a focusing ground-glass and whereby a sheet of sensitized paperor film may be held perfectly flat in the desired position after a sharpfocus has been attained, said sensitized material thus applied thenadhering and being maintained substantially in the plane of sharp focus.The invention has for'its object, also, the construction of a focusingscreen of this character .wherein the ground glass portion upon which animage is to be focused is not exposed to the more or less appreciablepresviated, and focusing screens of extremely large dimensions arepossible. A further object of the invention resides in means to readilyfix the desired position on the focusing screen, or outline ofpreviously focused image, for locating properly the sheet of sensitizedmaterial. i The nature of the invention, however, will 0 best beunderstood when described in consure resulting, in the usual apparatusof this PATENT OFFICE nection'with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the novel focusing screen showing apiece of sensitized material adhering thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear View, inperspective, of thefocusing screen; and shows also the vacuum producingapparatus associated therewith.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the groundglass screen and 0 7 illustrates the means of providing suctiontherethrough and manner, of securing said means to the glass.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of focusing screen.

Fig. 5 is a detailvertical section through the same.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view in perspective of a portion ofsuction tubing and the associated focusing glass.

Fig. 7 is a rear view, in perspective, illustrating a furthermodification; and Fig. is a fragmentary vertical section thereof.

Referring .to the drawings, more particularly Fi s. 1 to 3, 10designates a frame or rectangular structure which may be supported inany suitable manner for use with an enlarging or photostatic camera (notshown). Within the said frame is secured a translucent member, as thegro nd glass plate 11, for receiving an image; and: the sameis adaptedto be set relatively to the camera or like apparatus in the plane ofsharp focus, in manner well understood in the art.

In accordance with the invention, this f0 cusing plate or screen memberis provided with a plurality of perforations 12 which are preferablyarranged symmetrically therein, for example, in a series of parallelrows as indicated in Fig. 1. The spacing ofthese perforations is suchthat a sensitized sheet, as the sheet 13, Fig. 1, may be securely heldto the outer face of the screen at any convenient or predeterminedportion by vaou um applied as hereinafter set forth.

This vacuum mayb obtained from a motor-driven vacuum pump 14, Fig. 52,through the hose connection 15; but it is not applied in the mannerheretofore practiced. As'

shown, the hose 15 connects through a pipe 16 with a header 17 located,for example, at

. the side of the frame, whichheader in turnfere with the focusingoperation priorto the application of the sensitized material to thefront of this screen. Each branch,

. moreover, has a small extension v or short ing operation length ofpipe 19 screwed therein and extending therefrom at right angles intothecorresponding perforations 12 of the ground glass or screen member .11.The outer ends of these extensions are arranged to lie sub" stantiallyflush with the outer face and ground glass surface of the screen 11,that is to say, substantially-in the plane of sharp focus, so that whenvacuum is applied to'a sheet of sensitized material, as the sheet 13,

placed over the various outlets said sheet will be securely held inposition on the glass focusing screen in the plane ofsharp focus.

To secure convenientl sions to the glass throug said perforations, thelatter may be counter-bored, as indicated, and a nut 20 fitted over theouter threaded ends of the extensions to lock said screen member betweena nut and a corresponding branch 18 of the extension, a washer 21preferably being interposed to obviate cracking the glass in taking uponthe nut.

As the operation of applying the sensitized medium to the screen isconducted in a more or less darkened roomor in subdued light, it hasbeen found convenient to provide means to fix or outline the focusedfield portion of the image so that the sensitized sheet subsequent tothe focusing operation may be located with more or less accuracy on thedesired and previously determined portion of the screen. To'this end,there areattached, for example, at the four rear corners of the frame 10flexible armored cable conductors" quer to provide a non-actinic lightand are movable over the back of the screen to various positionscorresponding to the field of the focusedima e. Thereby,when the focusasbeen completed and the screen is ready to receive the sensitizedmater-ial, the pro er location for the sameis,

readily determlned by viewing the position of the lights which areyisiblethrough said screen, the same having been located," for example,at the points corres onding to the four corners of the image. inatingthe said lamps 26 may be obtained from any suitable source not shown)through the conductors 27 w ich connect with the different flexiblecable conductors 25. I 1

It will be understood, of course, thatthe novel focusing screen mayserve also as a ower for illum-..

copy carrying member or holder for copy to be hotographed.

- or very large work, it is preferred to construct the screen as shownmore particularly in Fi s. 4-6 of the drawings, the glass portion tereof being provided in the form of a plurality of vertically disposedand removable panels 30 with intermediate tubular elements 31. Thesetubes and panels are surrounded by a tubular frame,as the rectangularframe 32, to which suction connections 33 are made at various points, asindicated and the said panels and tubes may be held in position bycleats 34 and secured to the outer enclosing frame 35 of the screen. Onthe one side, at least,and representing the focalplane of a focusedimage, the corresponding faces of the intermediate tubes 31 lie flushwith the ground glass surface and are, furthermore, provided with aplurality of vertically disposed openings 36 from the interior of a tubeto its said face. Provision is made, these said extenalso, forestablishing suction in the individual tubes 31 through-suitable valvedconnections 37, for example, between the lower portion not required tobe perforated as in the embodiment hereinbefore described.

Av further modification in the construction of the frame 32 and anindividual tube. By 7 of the type of perforated focusing glass, of

within a tubular surrounding frame '41 which 1 in turn is secured to theouter enclosing frame 42, the said frame 41 being provided with 'vacuumconnections 43 similarly to the construction indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

- Instead of providing for permanently located suction elements, thereis arranged, for

example, from the top and bottom of said tubular frame 41 a plurality offlexible tubes 44 of sufiicient length to extend more or-less 4 over theback of the erforated plate 40. .These tubes are designe to plug intoselected perforations and to this end have at their respective outerends tapered nozzles or heads 45 which may be inserted into theperforations 46 distributed over-the plate, said rforations beingcorrespondingly tapere so that when a nozzle is inserted therein it willbe held therein and extend substantially flush with the outer face 47*ofthe plate 40,

The connections 44, or, preferably, the nozzles 45, are provided withsuitable valves or con trolhng'means 48 for establishing a suction atthe surface 47, the focusingscreen then I lucent portion, and

operating substantially in the fo-' being operated, substantially in themanner shown in the construction of Figs. 13, to

hold the desired sheet 49 of sensitized material to the surface 47 Itwill be observed 5 that merely a suflicient number of the connections 44to correspond to the field need be plugged in and the correspondingcontrolling means 48 thereof 0 ened to cause the sensitized material toadhere to the surface 47 after the screen has been properly focused, theremaining connections being inactive and the suction consequentlyconserved. Field outlining means 50 similar to those heretofo'redescribed mayalso be'utilized-to assist in determining the properlocation for the sensitized sheet 49.

I claim 1. A focusing member, comprising a perforated translucentportion, and vacuum means associated therewith operating substantiallyin the focal plane of the said translucent portion to cause sensitizedphotographic material to be held thereto, and emodying individual vacuumelements entering from one face a said perforation an terminatingsubstantially flush with the surface of the opposite face.

2. -A focusing member, comprising a translucent portion, and vacuummeans associated therewith. o erating substantially in the focal plane 0the said translucent portion to cause sensitized hotographic material tobe held thereto an a plurality of illuminated means-movable over theback of said translucent portion to outline a selected portion thereof.

3. A focusing member, comprising a transvacuum means associatedtherewith cal plane the said translucent portion to cause sensitizedphotographic material to be held thereto, flexible cable members securedto the focusing member, electric'lamps carried at the free ends of saidcablesand movable over the rear of thefocusing member, said cables be'of suflicient 'stiflness to maintain the position of the said lam s.

4. A vac'uum holding member for exible material, comprising a member.having a lurali of perforations, mem

spective pe orations and terminating substantially in the plane of theone face of said A rforatedmem r. 5. Afocusing frame,

lurality glass having a p of perforations,

and vacuum providing members extending d of perforations and a groundface,

along-one side of the frame at the rear of and vacuum prowi ing rsadated to extend through the recomprising a ground' side of the frame atthe rear of said glass, from over preciably displaced from one another,extensions from said branches through the perforations of the glass andterminating substantially in the plane of its ground face, and a. vacuumconnection to' said header.

7 A focusing frame comprising a casing, a glass mounted therein having aplurality of perforations and a ground header along one side of the rameat the rear of said glass, branches extending laterally therefrom overthe back of the glass and appreciably displaced from one another,extensions from said forations of the glass and terminatin substantiallyin the' plane of its groun face and threaded at the outer end, a nutworking over said threaded outer end ofan extension to lock the glassplate to the branches, and a vacuum connection to said header.

8. A focusing frame comprising a casing, a glass mounted therein havingaplurality a header said glass, branches extending laterally therefromover the back of the glass and appreciably displaced from one another,extensions from said branches through the perforations of the glass andterminatin substantially in the plane of its ground ace, a vacuumconnection to said header, flexible cable members secured to the rearcorners of the casing, lamps carried at the free ends a of said cablesand motable over the rear of said cables being of suflicient stifltheglass osition of the lamps,

ness to maintain the and means to supply 0 eetricity tosaid lamps foreffecting illumination of the same.

In testimony whereof I aflix m si ature. vELLIS I IS R.

through the respective perforations and terminating substantially in theplane 'of the ground face of said ground glass to retain thereon aflexible sensitized medi-um substantiall in the lane of sharp focus.

6. A ocusing me comprising a casing, a glass mounted therein havin aplurality 'of perforations and a ground ace, a header the back of theglass and ap-v fglass face, a

branches through the per

